Question
Suppose you were the Chief Financial Officer of WPCI Drugs and Products. By 2015, WPCI had become a major player in prescription drugs with sizable
Suppose you were the Chief Financial Officer of WPCI Drugs and Products. By 2015, WPCI had become a major player in prescription drugs with sizable market share in quite a few of them, and several "blockbuster" drugs. WPCI also had numerous brand name home products such as Clean detergent and Chef Girlardee canned food.
The three pillars of WPCI's strategy were conservatism, marketing and cost control. WPCI consistently avoided much of the risk of product development and introduction in the volatile drug industry. Most of its new products were acquired or licensed after their development by other firms. Others were copies and clever extensions of products introduced by competitors. WPCI's success was built on its expertise in marketing, which eroded its competitors headstart, and on cost control, which ensured substantial margins. The results were impressive. Selected financial data for WPCI (in $ millions):
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
Sales | 2,471.7 | 2,685.1 | 3,062.6 | 3,406.3 | 3,798.5 |
Net Income | 277.9 | 306.2 | 348.4 | 396.0 | 445.9 |
Earnings Per Share | 1.75 | 1.94 | 2.21 | 2.51 | 2.84 |
Dividend Per Share | 1.00 | 1.15 | 1.33 | 1.50 | 1.70 |
Cash | 357.8 | 322.9 | 436.6 | 493.8 | 593.3 |
Total Assets | 1,510.9 | 1,611.3 | 1,862.2 | 2,090.7 | 2370.3 |
A/P and other noninterest-bearing liabilities | 511.60 | 565.70 | 670.50 | 758.40 | 883.60 |
Long-term + Short-term debt | 7.8 | 10.3 | 13.7 | 10.3 | 13.9 |
Net Worth | 991.5 | 1,035.3 | 1,178.0 | 1,322.0 | 1,472.8 |
Balance Sheet 2015 | |||
Assets |
| Liabilities and Equity |
|
Cash and Cash Equivalents | 593.3 | A/P and other non-interest bearing liabilities | 883.6 |
Accounts receivable | 517.3 | Long-term + Short-term debt | 13.9 |
Inventory | 557.3 | Total Liabilities | 897.5 |
Plant, Property & Equip. | 450.5 |
|
|
Others | 251.9 | Net Worth | 1,472.8 |
Total Assets | 2,370.3 | Total Liabilities + Net Worth | 2,370.3 |
- Describe WPCI's capital structure for the period from 2011 to 2015. What are the likely factors leading to this capital structure? (Hint: Consider WPCIs sustainable growth and its underlying components).
2. Based on the information given above, is this capital structure likely to be optimal? If yes, explain its merits relative to alternative capital structures. If not, discuss this capital structures main drawbacks, as well as the relative merits of the different possible paths to a more suitable capital structure.
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